


The Song

by RaevynNocturne



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29599905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaevynNocturne/pseuds/RaevynNocturne
Summary: Even the Doctor needs a Healer, and a friend.
Relationships: The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s)





	The Song

You disengage your prosthetic, sighing with relief, then grimacing when the wave of pain washes over your stump; it had been a long day, running hurts. You were lucky you only had to run; the Doctor had been zapped with some laser weapon; glancing over at him, you watch him spreading some opaque stuff on the wound. You sigh, but smile fondly, put the leg back on, and walked over to the Doctor.

"Here, let me do that " you tell him, holding out your hands for the items. He smiles up at you, although you see the pain in his eyes, and hands you the paste. You finish slopping the thick paste over the wound, then carefully put thick pieces of gauze over that, wrapping it around his ribs snugly; enough to stay put without being constricting. You gather up the trash, and move to throw it away, but he reaches up to stop you, gently grabbing your wrist.

"You're so good at that. Where'd you learn how to do that?" he asks kindly. You smile at him, and shrug.

"I just learned watching my mom growing up. And some of it is... I dunno, instinctual." you reply, slightly embarrassed.

"Well I'd say you're a natural. Thank you. Let's say we go get some chips and pop, eh?" he asks, standing up slowly. You grin broadly, and nod, returning the items to the medbay.  
_________________________________________________

You find yourself in a strange predicament a week later. The mission today hadn't gone as planned, and while that wasn't unusual, this time it had been really bad. A distress call that had started as a rescue mission turned into a literal bloody civil war. So much death and destruction, and the Doctor got shot; not enough to kill him, but enough to hurt him badly. You had to drag him away, realizing neither of you could do anything to save these people, but he fought you the whole way back to the TARDIS. You didn't even have to tell the ship to leave, she did so almost as soon as the doors were closed. You tended his wounds, learning for the first time how to do stitches (and he said nothing about it the whole time, probably too lost in thought), and helped him get cleaned up and changed. That in and of itself was strange; he hadn't said a word the entire time, and tried to help but stopped when he realized it was only causing more strain on his wounds.

He laid down after you got him dressed, so you left him to his thoughts, not sure what you could do to help. But when, several hours later, the TARDIS wakes you from your own sleep, you go wandering to the control room, you find he's not there. Instead, on one monitor, you see him in his room, twitching and crying out. You hobble as quickly as you can to his room, and carefully, gently, wake him; he cries out as he wakes, and looks up at you, tears in his eyes. You hold him as he cries, projecting the thought that he's not to be ashamed to cry, and that you love him all the same. The predicament, therefore, comes when he asks you to stay the night with him. Sure you love the Doctor, but as a friend, maybe even a brother, and so feel a little weird about it, but you stay anyways; your Healer instincts tell you leaving would be disastrous.

So you take your shoes and leg off, stick the liner under your leg, and curl up next to him, holding him as he tries to sleep, which he dies eventually. But you can't sleep, all that suffering has you wired still. Not only that, but the Doctor's suffering tears at you, at your soul, and you ache for him. 

You lay there for a long time, and finally feel sleepy, lulled to calm by his even breathing, and his heartbeats; having two hearts makes it sound fascinating. Finally, you do fall asleep, and pray your streak of no nightmares holds.

When you wake the next morning, the first thing you notice is that the Doctor isn't in bed, much less the room. You stretch languidly, and put your liner on, then engage the leg, and slide your other shoe on, then head to the control room. Seeing him not there, you stand there, confused; where is he? The TARDIS beeps, and a monitor swings towards you.

"Has anyone ever told you how creepy that is?" you ask her, chuckling when she beeps at you; you don't know what she's saying, but you hope she's laughing with you.

You glance at the monitor, surprised to see that the Doctor is in the kitchen, cooking. Oh that can't be good, he can't cook worth a darn. You walk as fast as you can to the kitchen, but you don't smell anything burning; maybe the TARDIS was cheating? 

"Eh.. What's up, Doc?" you ask, imitating your favorite childhood cartoon character Bugs Bunny; you remember showing him the cartoon, and he chuckled at it.

"Thought I'd try my hand at cooking again, but this time I have a book. Wanted to make you breakfast, but didn't want to ruin it. Although I think the ship is actually handling the heat, because nothing has burned. I'm trying," he says, almost pleading with you to believe him. You smile fondly, and go to hug him from behind.

"Thank you, Doctor. This is wonderful, and very sweet. So where is the rest of it?" you ask, looking at the small chunks of potatoes in the skillet, thinking it was browning rather nicely.

"In the oven, staying warm," he replies proudly, smiling at you, carefully pushing the potatoes around to prevent burning.

You toddle around the kitchen, grabbing played, silverware, cups, and condiments, and set the small table for you both. You know the Doctor doesn't eat or sleep as much, especially sleep, but he enjoys eating, and loves taking you to random planets to eat; it doesn't always work out for you, but he's always willing to try to eat new things. Cleaning up after him isn't always pleasant, but it doesn't stop him from trying new things! But you're far too picky an eater, and often don't eat when visiting somewhere; the usual excuse if not feeling well seems to work well. 

You bring the plates to the island, grab a couple of hot pads, and start pulling out the plates to put in part of the island; eggs, bacon, toast, and the potatoes when he's done, plus the condiments. You put scoops in the eggs and potatoes, tongs in the bacon, and then you both start loading up your plates; you spread strawberry jelly on your toast, and toddle to the table. He sets his plate down, grabs the glasses, and fills them with liquids; apple juice for you, some bright blue liquid for him, as well as coffee for you and tea for him.

You both eat in silence, having decided long ago to not talk during breakfast, unless they were going out to eat. When you finish, he covers the rest of the food and sets it in the fridge, while you gather dirty dishes, putting them in the dish washer. Once you finish cleaning up, you turn to leave and are surprised to see the Doctor standing by the door.

"I thought maybe we'd go to a spa planet today. Especially after yesterday. I mean hell, you've been so good lately, that I wanted to treat you. You deserve it," he says softly, smiling sadly.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! But you deserve it too," you say, smiling broadly up you, putting your arm around his back, since you can't reach his shoulders.

"Not really, but thank you for the thought," he replies fondly, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"Let's go find a good place, something that maybe caters to disabilities," you say, and you both walk down the hallway, arms still wrapped around each other, sharing comfort with each other.  
_________________________________________________

You moan softly as the bubbles cascade around you, feeling almost like a massage. You glance over at the Doctor, who doesn't look comfortable; you both waited a few days before going, so his wounds would heal more, but it wasn't much consolation. He had mentioned that the water in this pool had healing properties, but it didn't seem to be helping. You reach out and gently tap his wrist, smiling innocently when he glares at you.

"Come here, you, sit in front of me and I'll massage your shoulders. No arguing, I'm your Healer," you tell him, a little smugly, smiling when he grumbles and moves to sit in front of you.

You gently caress his shoulders for a moment, feeling the incredible tension in them, then starts carefully massaging his shoulders and neck, then down his back. You secretly always enjoy giving massages, no matter who it's to, because you love to feel the muscles under your fingers; the Doctor's back especially was a map of tension, whipcord, and muscle. He shifts under your ministrations, sore at a couple points, but moans as you smooth out the knots in his back.

"If I didn't know any better, Raevyn, I'd say you are enjoying this," he says lazily, his voice almost a shade seductively, completely relaxed.

"Well of course I am, this is enjoyable even for me, I like helping people," you reply, voice relaxed with a hint of amusement.

"You are good at you, my dear," he says, almost sleepily. You ruffle his hair, and he chuckles, then leans against you, pinning your hand against his back; you carefully slip your hands out, then lean back against the edge of the pool.

Three hours later, and both you and the Doctor are getting massages; too bad it's not together, you think privately to yourself. You're so relaxed afterwards, you can barely walk, but you manage to make your way back to your room. Figuring it was too nice a day to waste inside, you slip into your bathing suit, glop a heavy amount of suntan lotion on, and sit out on the balcony to enjoy some sun and fresh air. 

You drift off to sleep, waking an hour later, after some very.... vivid.... dreams, involving you and the Doctor. Blushing deeply, you glance about, making sure he's not around; you both had requested a second set of keys, as well as adjoining rooms, in case there was an emergency. 

Not seeing him around, you grab a quick shower, then change into some a lot more comfortable. When you walk into the kitchen area if the room, you see him sitting there, with a cobalt blue mug; you can smell the coffee, and are rather surprised.

"Hello. What's wrong?" you ask softly, setting up a mug for yourself.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asks with a smile.

"You're drinking coffee. In a mug." you reply smugly.

"So?" he asks innocently.

"So you typically only drink coffee in a disposable cup, not a mug, not unless you're needing to be awake, or something's wrong." you explain, and he smirks.

"What, can't I just enjoy a nice of coffee?" he asks.

"Sure," you remark, and sit next to him. You both sit quietly for a couple of minutes, him looking at his cup, you staring at nothing.

"You're right," he finally says, very softly, not looking at you.

"What happened?" you ask, resisting the urge to touch his hand or shoulder.

"Some very vivid dreams," he says, and you stare at him, shocked.

"Lemme guess: I was in it? And it was... Explicit?" you ask, almost whispering the last word. He turns to stare at you, then you both break eye contact, blushing deeply.

"Well then.... How shall we go about dealing with this?" you ask, trying to sound as bland and neutral as possible; you can't help but blush.

"Who says we have to do anything? Why not enjoy the rest of the vacation?" he asks, a little sullenly.

"We don't need to physically do anything, but we should both decide how best to handle this. It might be just the one dream, or it might be something we experience every day, or any time we sleep. You might not, but I will," you reply, not willing to look at him.

"Let's just take it one day at a time, and we'll go from there," he says, with a note of finality.

You roll your eyes, and playfully punch him in the shoulder, making him grin up at you.

"Come on, you, you owe me a romantic dinner. Well, as romantic as we can get..." you joke, making him laugh. 

He heads to his room through the shared door, and you look for something suitable to wear; you forgot to bring your pumps with you, so you stick with a long, black broomstick skirt, and a fancy shirt of black, purple, and silver designs, made of some light, airy material you've never seen on earth. You grab your bag, always prepared, and meet the Doctor at the lobby. Seeing him dressed up in a nice suit, you almost feel underdressed, but also can't help the flash of excitement at seeing him; glory but he's good looking.

"Hello, my beautiful Lady. Are you ready to head out? I found the perfect place, you'll love it," he says to you, grinning broadly, holding his hand out to you; taking his hand, you both walk out to find a car waiting to take you to the restaurant.

Once you get there, at first you're a tiny bit disappointed; the outside looked a little shabbier than you were expecting, but you say nothing, having learned that appearances can be deceiving. The inside looks very nice, upper end, but when they take you upstairs to the balcony, you're taken away: not only is it separate from the other balconies, but the twin moons shine brightly, and are reflected on the ocean water. The Doctor guides you to your seat, smiling at your shock and wonder, and orders you water; you haven't looked at the menu to know what other drink you might want.

"I think you'd better order for me, you know the food here better than me," you say, smiling fondly at him; it's a bit if a running joke, since you're such a picky eater, that he's always the one who has to order food off world.

"As a matter of fact, I came to this place not just for the view: they're one if a few on the planet that caters to thousands of species, including humans, so I know a couple things you'll enjoy!" he replies happily, and grins cheekily at you.

"I love you, Doctor" you reply fondly, and he smiles broadly at you.

After a long, wonderful meal, you both return to the hotel, but go out and walk on the beach, carefully; he knows how difficult that is for you, so he's there to help you.

"This place is wonderful, thank you. We both needed this," you say to him softly, almost whispering, as though afraid to break the enchanting mood 

"You're quiet welcome, my dear, and yes, we both did need this," he replies just as softly.

So you walk, hand in hand, back to the hotel. Although you're sad the vacation will be ending in a couple of days, you still enjoyed every moment. What you have trouble with, however, is how much you've enjoyed spending time alone with the Doctor, because you feel closer than friendship now, and that unsettles you. You squash the doubt, and the feelings, preferring instead to focus on enjoying the rest of the vacation.  
_________________________________________________

You wake with a start, the end of the dream still vivid in your mind. You don't have nightmares, something that has confused and fascinated the Doctor, and you very rarely have what you call bad dreams. This was neither, just a strange dream. You don't remember much, only an incredibly beautiful wind chime made of blue/purple/black crystal, chiming in the wind, and children's laughter. You feel a sense of familiarity with the sound, but have no idea why, and that is what unsettles you.

You grab a quick shower, and get changed, but can't shake the unsettled feeling, so you go in search of your best friend, the Doctor.

It's been two months since the vacation, and the one thing you noticed is how much more relaxed he is around you; more disturbing, you're more relaxed around him. You feel drawn to him, and it almost scares you. How does one fall in love with someone like the Doctor?

"Raevyn, are you ok?" he voices breaks through your introspection.

"Not really. I had an odd dream, nothing bad, but something about the end of it seemed so familiar, it was weird," you say, plopping down on a..

_________________________________________________

You lay on the floor, staring up at the rotating cogs, filled with Gallifreyan symbols; you've asked him before what they mean, but he only smiles, and never tells you. You look up at him, sitting in the jump seat beside you, and you resist the urge to poke his bony knee.

_________________________________________________

"Raevyn.... Raevyn!" a voice, familiar to you, breaks through, and you're aware of being gently shaken.

"Come on Rae, talk to me," the voice, belonging to the Doctor, you realize, pleads

"I'm ok, I'm ok. It was a random.... I don't know, memory? Daydream? It felt so familiar," you say shakily. He pulls a folding chair next to you, watching you with growing concern.

"Talk to me," he asks, hands on your knees.

So you tell him, about the dream, and about the vision you'd just had. When you finally look at him, he looks stunned, as though someone hit him on the back of the head with a 2x4.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" you ask, scared; he comes to, shaking his head, then smiles at you.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was shocked because I know where those chimes come from, but I didn't think you'd ever heard about it," he says with a smile; you know he's hiding something, but something tells you not to push it.

"Ok, so tell me about the place," you ask, intrigued.

"80% of the planet is made of crystals, that have an interesting blue/purple/black sheen, and they often seem to shift between the colors. Even after they've been harvested, they can shift. The wind chimes are very popular, because they're surpringly strong; they grow the crystals to form hollow tubes, then dip it in some clear solution that hardens them. I watched the process once, it's amazing, especially when cutting the lengths then tuning them. They have food farms, but usually they trade for food. They have special locations where crystals are grown, not all underground. Because the crystals can be used in so many different ways, they have certain farms dedicated to growing them in certain ways. It's a lovely place, with equally lovely natives. But the natives are fiercely protective of their secrets, and their crystals. The sentences for anyone caught trying to steal any, even tiny shards, are pretty bad. But they're fair when judging people; usually it's just tourists stupid enough to try to pick up shards as souvenirs, and end up hurting themselves." he says with a smile.

"Oh, take me there, please!" you beg, dreams and visions forgotten. He smiles at you, amused by your enthusiasm.

"Oh alright, just for you! I'll need to check the weather first; they get nasty storms in the poles, and the sound can reach almost the equator, so trade is shut down, banned even, for two months, and they've got 18 month years. So we'll try to arrive during one of their spring festivals, or their equivalent of spring," he says, smiling, and chuckles at the glee in your eyes. He's glad for the change of subject; your dream and your vision has him very unnerved, and a little scared. He knows it's impossible, it hasn't been that long, but the similarities between the two are so striking it's disturbing.

He jumps up, and lays in the coordinates, and pulls the lever, eager to be away, and for the distraction. You wait impatiently by the door as he checks the monitor for storms; he gives a thumbs up, and you open the door quickly, and step outside. The sun is rising, the air smells faintly of lilac, and the sky is a wash if colors you haven't seen before. You feel tears run down your cheeks, but you don't care; you're proud to show how move you are. The Doctor comes to stand next to you, and casually takes your hand, sharing in the awe and wonder if the sunrise. 

He sees the small group if people coming towards the two of you, so he waves with his free hand. The lead person waves back, and he smiles, knowing all is well. But you're too entranced by the sunrise.

At first you think you're hearing things, but slowly the sound gets louder. It's still very faint, and you strain to hear it; it's almost like seeing something at the corner of your eye, but it's gone when you turn your head. Then you feel it, a faint vibration under your feet, and you can hear it, the oh so faint sound of music, a symphony of sound. You're vaguely aware of a group of people coming up the hill to your right, but you ignore them as the singing gets louder. When the sun crests finally, the sound is so heartbreakingly beautiful you start crying again, which alerts the Doctor immediately.

"Raevyn, what's wrong?" he asks quietly, but urgently.

"The singing. Can't you hear it? It's so beautiful," you whisper reverently.

"I don't hear anything," he says, seriously worried now.

"She must be special if she can hear the sunrise song, Doctor," the lead person says; the voice is neither male nor female, landing almost in between, deep for a female, high for a male.

You squeeze his hand, begging him to be silent, and you open your mind to him, sharing what you hear with him. He gasps, and almost pants as his pulse quickens, feeling the same surge if energy you did upon hearing the song. 

5 mins later, and it ends, leaving you both almost weak from the experience. You turn to see a group of people that apoear humanoid, although their skin is a medium blue, almost cerulean blue color, with lavender dots along their sides and necks; you're minded strongly of the Navii from the Avatar movie, and you feel the amusement from the Doctor at the comparison.

"It's been a long time since an outside heard the song, lae'nah. I am Taenah, the chosen spokesperson if you will, for our people. You wouldn't be able to pronounce our name, so we simply introduce ourselves as the crystal keepers!" she says (at least, you think it's a she), and bows at the waist. Without letting go of his hand, you and the Doctor both bow in return.

"Well met, Taenah, and thank you for allowing us to share in this beauty," the Doctor says, smiling.

"We all know of the Doctor and his blue flying box, so we know you are welcome, but now you know it officially! But that you brought a Healer with you makes this especially wonderful, for only they can hear, and feel, the sunrise song. Sunset doesn't bring a song, only sunrise," the speaker says.

"I could feel the energy as the crystals woke to sing their song. It was amazing," you say, still crying slightly.

"Your tears are tribute to the crystals, and they accept you as an outsider keeper. Come join us, we are preparing for our festival," Taenah says, beckoning you both to follow, which you do, hand in hand.  
_________________________________________________

You stay for a week, learning the ways of the Keepers, how they seed the crystals, shape them as they grow ("like a bonsai" you exclaimed, and once you explain what that was, they all smile at the comparison), how they harvest the various crystals, and how they handle the harvests afterwards. You watched as they formed and tuned the chimes, and even got to do a set for yourself. Unbeknownst to you, however, the Doctor watched in shock, knowing that even he had never been allowed to make any chimes; only the Keepers were allowed to handle the tuning and trimming of the chimes. He knows you're musical by nature, but this whole experience has him shaken to the core. It further proves his theory to be true; only one other could've done this, and he never brought her here.

You did well with the trimming and tuning, but had trouble with making the cords that hold the chimes together; laughing merrily, the women say even some of them have trouble, and that it's ok. So they string your chimes together, and show you how they dip the whole thing in a clear solution that will harden the crystals to prevent cracking. You allow them to do it, since they're the ones with experience, even though they would've allowed you the chance. The solution dries rather quickly, so it must be done quickly. Once the whole thing is done, they hand it back to you, and you hear the beautiful chiming...

*~*~*children laughing*~*~*

And are so happy. What you don't see is the shocked looks the women give each other, and the stricken look the Doctor has, standing behind and away from you. They all heard the laughter, and the chimes that didn't match the one in your hand. But they know what that means.

As you turn to smile at the Doctor, everyone quickly smiles, hiding their shock; he smiles fondly at you, even while his hearts are breaking. She's returned, he thinks to himself, and somehow he knows she'll always find him.

Taenah, having been watching from the side, carefully takes your finished product, and wraps it in a cloth so soft, it's almost like cashmere and silk, and places that in a box.

"Come, tonight we have dancing! We all take a brief rest before beginning preparations for the evening. Let us grab a light snack, and rest, for tonight, we will dance to honor the Song!" she says kindly, eyes filled with excitement.

You take the Doctor's hand, and follow the lady back to their village, to the hut they'd offered you for the week. You can sense something was very off about the Doctor, he was unusually quiet and withdrawn, but again you felt like pursuing it would be bad. So you content yourself with walking hand in hand, sharing the bond if loving friendship with a man you loved, both as a friend, and (reluctantly admitted) as more.

You eat, and return to the hut; although you're not really tired, you lay down anyways, and are surprised you manage to fall asleep. The Doctor, on the other hand, quietly slips out, trying not to wake you. He is very distressed, and doesn't want to wake you with his pacing. He goes to the outskirts of the town, and walks around the perimeter, trying to make sense of everything. Part of him is terrified at the implications of it all, because of the last one; part of him secretly yearns for it to be true, wishing it was the past catching up with him. He allows himself to wonder what it would be like, to grow old with you, maybe even start a family. He knows you really don't want children, but he imagines it anyways; fantasies don't hurt you, only unrealistic expectations do.

"One day, you will slow down, long enough to settle. And, in your twilight, she will find you. She will always find you. Just as your last companion sent echoes of herself across your timeline, this one sends her very essence along it. Spirit energy can manifest in many people, at the same time, because it is not bound to time," Taenah says quietly, stepping from behind her hut to walk with the Doctor. 

"But why? Why now? I know it was... Gods, 4 or 5 faces ago? Has it truly been that long?" he asks, shaken. He knows the Taenah is actually the tribe's shaman, and healer, so she sees things the others don't. He knows she sees true, and it cuts him deep to him core. He doesn't think he can handle the heartbreak one more time.

"I do not know why now, that may be up to you to discover. But whatever you do, at least enjoy what she offers. Even if you're afraid to love her as anything more than a dear friend, enjoy it, for she shines as brightly as a native Keeper. I know you know what we plan to do tonight, and I hope you will say nothing to her. Or if you just say anything, tell her it's a rare honor you show only to certain outsiders," she replies, voice gentle yet firm.

"I won't tell her unless she asks, and I won't specify what is really going on. But I'm afraid, I don't know if I can allow myself to love her as more. I mean, I already have romantic feelings, and it scares me, but knowing know who she really is, I'm terrified. I want her more than anything, but I'm so tired of losing people. I've been too afraid to fall back in love after Clara, then Liz. But I still fall, and it still always hurts. Why can't I just find someone who can stay with me for the rest of MY life?" he replies, desperation and loneliness making his voice hoarse, and deeper than usual.

"The universe has a way of giving us exactly what we need, whether we like it or not. That is the cold truth. Now, my friend, I must rest, and I suggest you do the same," she says, bows her head to the Doctor, and walks back to her hut. He stares at her, then agrees, and returns to the hut he shares with Rae.

You feel silly, wearing a halter top that expires your ugly, fat belly, a skort (you wants shorts, they wanted a skirt, you found a compromise) that comes halfway down your thick thighs, and colored paint on your body. They explained that it was part of the festival, a special ceremony they do to honor outsiders that are considered good enough to be made honorary tribesmen (essentially making that person a citizen of the planet), and the symbols are to give thanks to the crystals that gave them life. But you feel ridiculous, and exceedingly self-conscious; every native of the planet is thin, maybe not like the Navii, but thinner than you yourself could ever be, and you hate how you look. 

Once the paint has dried, they lead you outside, laughing merrily as you try to hide your ugly body. You see the Doctor sitting around the bonfire, and his smile widens when he sees you, making his eyes twinkle in the firelight. Abruptly the music, which had been sprightly before, halts all at once.

"This night, every year, we dance I'm celebration of the Song. First there was the crystals, before the life giving sun showed. The first winds caressed a song from the crystals, which drew the attention of the Sun. Then, when the sun gazed upon the beautiful planet, the crystals sang in thanks, and thus began the process of song and life. It is tonight when we give honor to any who has earned our respect, and tonight we honor Raevyn, and make her a tribesmen," Taenah says, opening her arms to you, so you walk over to her. You know what comes next, and aren't sure you like the idea of being drugged, even with the Doctor being here to help you.

"Drink this, Child of the Stars, and share the Song of Life with your tribesmen," she says, handing you a shallow, black crystal bowl, filled with a liquid that you swear looks exactly like the crystals. You take a sip, surprised that it tastes a little like tart blackberries; a few seconds later is when the euphoria hits. You're only vaguely aware of the bowl being taken from you, and you can feel the drumbeat through your feet; well, foot, although you do feel it a little through the prosthetic. You no longer care that you're scantily clothed, all you care about is the fire in your blood, a fire you know comes from the crystals. You can HEAR the Song, can feel it in ways you've never experienced before, and it is glorious.

You dance around the fire, with partners at times, sometimes yourself. You Sing, not just with your voice, which sounds strangely haunting and clear, but with your Soul. You are aware that many times, your dance partner is the Doctor himself, and you think he too was allowed a sip of the liquid.

*~*~* wind chimes, children laughing, red-gold energy, love*~*~*

You can feel something placed on your head, and when you touch it, know it's a flower wreath, like the ones you saw the children making before rest time. You see the Doctor has one too, and his has dark blue flowers; you wonder what colors yours are. You're distantly aware of some other ceremony happening during the festivities, and feel a slight sting as someone carefully cuts your palm, shallow so as not to do damage, and you wonder what that was for. You stop wondering when the Doctor, laughing merrily, kisses you deeply, and pulls you into another dance, a more upbeat dance. 

You can tell you're flagging because you need to rest more and more so the Doctor had pity, and takes you back to your hut. In the back of your mind, you realize the two beds that had been there were gone, and a large bed put in place instead, greets you. You figure he must've gotten lost, but you're too tired to care.

"Don't go, stay with me," you say tiredly, only half aware if saying it. 

He smiles at you, and says nothing, simply helps remove your leg, liner, and right shoe, then tucks you in, and crawls in beside you. You turn to face him, and, feeling bold, kiss him on the lips, which leave your lips tingling pleasantly. He returns the kids, but that's all you remember before you black out.

When you wake, you're surprisingly refreshed, although you were sure that drink last night was laced with something. Feeling an arm over your belly, you panic, until you look down, and realize it's the Doctor's arm; no longer panicking, but very confused, you carefully slide out from under his arm. He instinctively pulls his arm back, still asleep, smiling in his sleep. You take a moment to watch him, and you think how gorgeous he is, and how almost innocent his looks sleeping. You get up, and use the basin of water and the halter top to wash the paint off, then get changed into something much more comfortable. 

You carefully slip outside, not caring that it's way past dawn, in search of food. You see the communal tables ladened with food, and are glad you're not the only latecomer. You are greeted enthusiastically by the Keepers, abs reply in turn, trying to figure out why the greeting seems different today. You fill up your plate, opting for water to drink, and find a seat near one of the smaller bonfires kept going during the festival.

"Ah, good morning, Singer," Taenah says, coming towards you, then sitting next to you.

"Good morning, Speaker," you reply, then stop and stare at her. It's only then you realize everyone had greeted you like a tribesmen, not an outsider.

"I see you noticed the difference! Good! How're you feeling? How's you hand?" she asks, and points to your left hand; you look at it, and see nothing different with it.

"I'm good, more refreshed than I expected. And nothing is wrong with my hand, why do you ask?" you say, confused, and very slightly annoyed.

"Part of the ceremony required a little bit of your blood, so we had to use your palm. But, because the ceremonial liquid you had a sip of is primarily crystal in nature, it healed your palm even before you went to sleep." she explains, smiling at the dumbfounded look on your face.

"That must've been one helluva sip! What else was I drinking?" you ask in shock.

"Fruit juice and water, I promise! We wouldn't let you drink alcohol, not knowing how you'd react. And because the Doctor explained about your prosthetic, that you sometimes have balance issues," she replies, chuckling softly.

"Hehe, yeah, I always joke that I can't walk straight sober, so why should I get drunk?!?!" you say with a smile, and you both laugh heartily. You both fall into a mutual silence, eating your food, listening to the tribe go about their business. You know today's the last day of the festival, and you hope the Doctor will let you stay to sing the Sun to sleep tonight. Almost as if by magic, you see him walk over with a plate of food, liked high, and a large mug of something.

"Ugh, I know it's hard for me to get drunk, but remind me to never get drunk during the festival. I don't care how quickly that ceremony stuff heals you, my head feels like split rotten fruit," he groans, and you snicker softly. Taenah merely raises an eyebrow, and smirks.

"We did warh you it was strong," she says, almost haughtily.

"Yeah, well, lesson learned, ugh," he grumbles, and tears into the eggs he got.

"I must bid you farewell. I have lots of preparations today for the final ceremony. I hope you'll stay for the Song this evening, maybe stay until tomorrow! Until then, enjoy the rest of the day," she says, smiling, and bows, and turns to head to get hut.

"I already know what you're going to ask, and I don't have a problem staying an extra night. What's the point of having a time machine if you can't use it?" he asks softly, smiling up at you, eliciting a smile in return. A memory tickles your mind, but you wait until he's finished eating before you ask.

"Doctor, um.... Did anything happen when we went to bed?" you finally ask, a little afraid of the answer.

"You kissed me, I kissed you back, then you promptly fell asleep," he replies, laughter in his voice, a smile on his lips; you feel disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"Oh, ok, good. I only vaguely remember, so I had to ask," you explain.

"It's ok, I understand. Nothing happened last night that shouldn't, don't worry," he replies with a wink, making you roll your eyes, and he laughs again.

"Come on, kiddo, let's go browse the wares. Today's the day the 'vendors' go to the other tribes, to share with the other tribesmen and visitors their wares," he says, and offers you his hand; when you take it, he helps you up, and you both spend the day in the designated market area.

An hour before dusk, a messenger intercepts you both, asking you to meet the Taenah at her hut, so you both follow the messenger back. You see her outside the hut, directing various people to various areas, carrying torches. She waves briefly when she sees you, then turns to give instructions to the young girl she has been addressing.

"Ah, good, you came quickly. I was afraid you'd be at the end of field, which would've taken you a while to return," she says, smiling and bowing to you both; you both bow, but you somehow know she bows out of respect, not because of tradition when dealing with outsiders. Just as you know her name isn't Taenah, it's her title, and lae'nah means "honored guest". But how do you know these things?

"No, we were actually pretty close by, having just returned from the market," he says, holding up the three bags full of things you both found, smiling sheepishly. Taenah laughs, a lovely music sound, and smiles at the Doctor.

"No need to be ashamed, even we sometimes find items at the markets we like. Our tribe is the main one that handles the wind chimes, although our neighbors to the direct north handle etching things on them once the tubes are ready, then returning them to us for the final solution and stringing. So we work together to make the primary export, and the other tribes help support us with other things. But I can explain all that later, for now, drop those at your hut and hurry back, please, we need to get in place for the Song. You don't have to know the music to sing with us, but as honorary tribesmen, you should at least stand with us," she says, a twinkle in her eye. You sit on a bench next to her while he takes the bags to the hut. You feel sad, you don't want to go, but life must move on.

"Hold onto the sadness, channel it, for it will add to the Song. It is a sad Song, for we are singing a farewell to the Sun, and to the festival, but it promises a return of the Sun, and of life," she says softly to you, and turns to address a young child seeking her advice. Already you feel the charge in the air, the coolness ad the sun starts to set, and are excited to join the Song. You don't know what to expect, and that makes it all the more interesting.

The Doctor returns, and scoots next to you, putting his arm around your shoulders, and waits; he's only been to the festival once, and it was so long ago he doesn't actually remember what happens. A little bit later, Taenah moves everyone into position, moving you to the center of the choir, the Doctor to the outer edges; having heard him singing, while he's not bad, he's also not great, and you wouldn't want to throw off the others, but you keep that thought carefully hidden.

As the sunlight is halfway gone, Taenah cues the group to start singing, so softly you almost can't hear it, then slowly gaining in sound. You don't think, you just respond, singing what you feel is right, when it's right, and instinctively know the others are doing the same...

*~*~*wind chimes, metal chimes*~*~* 

Without knowing it had happened, you close your eyes right before the last beans shine, directly on you; you feel such a rush if energy, you just release the Song playing inside you, a beautiful blend of all the songs from the tribesmen, from all over the planet; the ones who came before you, the ones singing now, the ones yet to come. You don't realize, therefore, that you are the loudest voice, and that you are glowing red-gold, bright and beautiful. You had been told not to stop singing, only to follow your heart, because you would be linked to the Song; you don't realize Taenah has stopped conducting, watching in terrified fascinating. You only know the Song, which you have brought to life, must be tempered, as you sing the Sun to sleep.

You are exhausted after singing, so much so you don't see the looks of awe on their faces, nor the naked fear in the Doctor's eyes. You don't remember much after you sway, and feel someone pick you up. All you hear is children laughing, and crystal wind chimes, and the Song.

When you wake, you know it's been at least 10 hours, but you don't feel very refreshed. You sit up and look around, but don't see the Doctor; in fact, all of your stuff, both of yours, is missing, telling you he'd moved everything to the TARDIS. You get up, make the bed, and go out in search of food and friend. You barely step outside when you smell coffee, and hot apple cinnamon pastries. You turn around, drooling slightly at the smell, and grin broadly at the Doctor when he sees you've left the hut. He grins back, winking broadly, knowing you have missed coffee and pastries.

"Doctor, I love you, you're a lifesaver," you day, blatantly fluttering your eyelashes at him, being outrageous in purpose, making him laugh.

"Aren't I always?" he replies, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, making you giggle.

"Only when you're not being chased by bad guys," you joke, sticking your tongue out at him; his response is to stick a warm pastry in your mouth, making you hum in pleasure.

"That's not true, I'm still a lifesaver. Namely my own," he retorts, making you snort, and hands you your coffee, which you gratefully accept.

"Come on, you, Taenah wants to see us before we leave," he says, after a long sip of coffee; unlike previous incarnations, this one liked coffee.

It took very little time to locate the Speaker, who was tending a small garden next to her hut. She waves at you two, then holds her hand indicating you to wait, then stands and brushes off her hands, and turns to hug you, then the Doctor.

"I'm glad you both came to see the festival, and to join in the Song. I actually have something for you," she says, and hands you a small box; when you open it, you find a gorgeous pendant of a yin yang symbol, in dark purple and dark blue, with a small spire of the regular crystal in the middle, wrapped in silver wire.

"Taenah, it's gorgeous," the Doctor says, running a finger along the middle spire.

"Indeed, and the Song is in it, too," you say softly, and Taenah smiles.

"I'm not surprised you heard it! It's almost like you were made of the Song! I hope you both come back often! We will miss you," she says, hugging you both again.

"May the Song bring you light and life, Taenah " you say, although you don't recall hearing it ever.

"May the Song embrace you at your sunset, Singer," she replies solemnly, bowing deeply to you. 

You take the Doctor's hand, still holding the pendant, and walk hand in hand back to the TARDIS, the Song, at it softest, playing through you both.

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you may recognize parts of the text with the two part "book" I wrote... ;)


End file.
